Armero 40 years: the neighborhoods that emerged with affected families in Ibagué

These days we commemorate 40 years of the Armero tragedy caused by the eruption of the Arenas crater of the Nevado del Ruiz Volcano in the north of the department of Tolima.

This left more than 25,000 victims and there are multiple stories or perspectives that show the resilience of the survivors, who had to overcome losing their family and friends, as well as their territory and homes.

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A ‘little piece’ of Armero in Ibagué The tragedy caused the displacement of the surviving families to different territories in the country.

That is why in the city of Ibagué, the capital of this region, there is a significant exercise that reflects a rebirth, since at the end of the 80s and beginning of the 90 more than five neighborhoods were founded with this populationlocated mainly in Comuna Ocho.

“This entire sector received the inhabitants and survivors of the Armero tragedy, in total solidarity with them. They joined the schools and all sectors, because thanks to God managed to establish their homes again. Here we have a little piece of Armero, which represented a rebirth,” said Sandra Leal, councilor of the Ocho commune of Ibagué.

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Where did they arrive?

These are neighborhoods like Ciudad Luz, Ciudad Blanca and Nuevo Armero, as well as the Villa Vicentina and Antonio María urbanizations, but definitely the sector that perhaps brings together the largest number of this population is the Simón Bolívar Citadel. “In the Simón Bolívar Citadel most of the people come from the Armero avalanche.

We are talking about approximately 7,500 people, one of the largest population in this sector of the city. There are very long-lived people, people who have already died, people who have already gone to other cities or other countries,” said Fernando Espejo, president of the action board of the Simón Bolívar Citadel in its eastern sector.

This phenomenon of mobilization or transfer of families not only occurred within the Tolima territory, since in different departments Colombians there is a presence of Armerites today.

“I have an aunt who lives in Barranquilla in a neighborhood of Armeritas, I finished my high school in El Llano and I visited a neighborhood called Nuevo Armero. “We were dispersed throughout all parts of Colombia, but many of us did not want to leave our territory and continue living there,” said Mauricio Cuellar, mayor of Armero Guayabal and survivor of the tragedy.